Higgs Bison

July 5, 2012 By 18 Comments

As you’ve probably heard by now, there’s been an amazing discovery at Fermilab. Baby Bison:

Actually there are five of them in the current season. I’m guessing one of them is named Higgs, based on all the flap. Meanwhile, over at CERN, there’s something about the discovery of a particle, but I don’t think it’s as cute and fuzzy:

Scientists at Europe’s CERN research center have found a new subatomic particle, a basic building block of the universe, which appears to be the boson imagined and named half a century ago by theoretical physicist Peter Higgs.

“We have reached a milestone in our understanding of nature,” CERN director general Rolf Heuer told a gathering of scientists and the world’s media near Geneva on Wednesday.

“The discovery of a particle consistent with the Higgs boson opens the way to more detailed studies, requiring larger statistics, which will pin down the new particle’s properties, and is likely to shed light on other mysteries of our universe.”

Two independent studies of data produced by smashing proton particles together at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider produced a convergent near-certainty on the existence of the new particle.

It’s interesting how they’re being careful to say that the discovered a particle that seems like the theorized Higgs Boson, rather that saying that they’ve just discovered the Higgs. Scientific American does the same thing: “The particle looks an awful lot like the long-sought, and long-hypothetical, Higgs boson, most famous for explaining why elementary particles, such as quarks, have mass. “

Filed Under: Science 18 Comments
  • Len

    I like the way they call physicist Peter Higgs theoretical. I’m pretty sure there’s documented evidence that he really exists.

    • http://leavingfundamentalism.wordpress.com Jonny Scaramanga

      The existence of Peter Higgs: Only a theory! Teach the controversy!

    • mikespeir

      No, no! A theory is a body of explanations that accounts for the evidence. Considering how solid the evidence for Higgs is, I’d say “theoretical” is apropos.

  • Yoav

    Unfortunately none of the nuance makes it into the news reports (reminds me of this PhD comics). Also if I hear one more idiot use the term god particle I can’t be responsible for may actions.

  • UrsaMinor

    Unlike the case with the Higgs boson, there exists a simple culinary test to determine if the Higgs bison is real.

    • Azel

      But where is the repeatability ! That’s why I prefer the Hugs bison: the test is tactile and perfectly repeatable.

  • Lurker111

    Always thought we were talking about the second-in-command on the S.S. Higgs.

    • Len

      You mean like the science officer (eg, Mr Spock)?

    • UrsaMinor

      That’s the Higgs boatswain.

      • Lurker111

        Punning on bos’n, of course. Another truly weird word is “fo’c's’le”–the only English word that I know of with three apostrophes.

        Both nautical, of course. For nauty folks.

        • UrsaMinor

          It’s spelled “Luxury Yacht”, but it’s pronounced “Throatwarbler Mangrove”.

  • Custador

    “On the day we reserve to tell ourselves America is great – July 4 – Europe reminds us that we suck at science. #HiggsBoson

    — Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) July 4, 2012″

    • Mogg

      Yeah, the scientists at the Tevatron must be a bit disappointed.

    • Asdf

      As much as I respect Neil deGrasse Tyson, I think it would be more appropriate to say that we suck at supporting academic/public science. The United States had originally planned on building the Desertron down in Texas, which would have had higher collision energy than the LHC. They even dumped a billion or so dollars into it before realizing it wasn’t cost effective.

      But even at that, we have plenty of scientific discoveries happening here. Unfortunately most of them seem to be outside the realm of academia and in the bowels of various corporate R&D departments.

  • The Other Weirdo

    All I got from that was baby bison. I shall call him: “Tomorrow’s Dinner”. Tasty, tasty dinner.

    • Raymond

      Your saying that really is not in good…uh… taste as I’m a Vegan.

      • http://theotherweirdo.wordpress.com The Other Weirdo

        Ah, well then I won’t mention the steak-and-eggs I had for breakfast and chicken wings for dinner.

  • Raymond

    Happens all the time here, a thread of jokes is born from the exposed ditsies and the one liners soldily(higgs bososn not so solid?) flow. It keeps me laughing.